This article explores child and youth organizations created as a Socialist supplement to formal schooling in the early twentieth century. An examination of the Socialist party's views of educational policies is given. (DF)

Professional educators have gained an upper hand in policy making while at the same time enjoying substantial insulation from public opinion and accountability. (MM)

As new standards for students are taking effect, large disparities continue to exist in the educational opportunities available to rich and poor students in most states. These disparities are especially pronounced in California, where thousands of students attend school in dilapidated buildings, without textbooks, materials, or qualified teachers.…

One assumption underlying accountability policies is that results from standardized tests and other sources will be used to make decisions about school and classroom practice. We explore this assumption using data from a longitudinal study of nine high schools nominated as leading practitioners of Continuous Improvement (CI) practices. We use the…

Background/Context: In an era of high stakes accountability, public school districts struggle to improve teaching and learning for all students. As a result, effective professional development approaches for teachers are a high priority. Recently, teachers' learning communities (LCs) have been recommended because successful LCs foster teacher…

The fact that most elementary school teachers are female provides a key to understanding why there are often attempts by state bureaucrats, industry, and academics to control the curricular and teaching practices in classrooms. It also explains why these externally derived controls are often transformed by teachers once they are in their…

The difficulties surrounding the application of educational research are explored from the point of view that an empirical understanding of the social sciences is not as effective as a common sense approach to human behavior called "interpretative understanding." Shortcomings of empiricist methodology, laws, and interpretation are…

Presents a historical perspective on school restructuring, looking at New York City's unique reform; policy discourse and trends in practice; late nineteenth-century diversity; reorganization from 1900-50; challenging basic assumptions in the 1960s; back to basics in the 1980s; long-term structural trends in public schools; and education reform…

The two major reports of the Holmes Group--"Tomorrow's Teachers" and "Tomorrow's Schools"--contain sharply contrasting rhetorics: the rhetoric of democratic values and scientistic rhetoric. Critical analysis of the reports suggests that the contrast highlights the contradictory tendencies embedded in the reform movement. (IAH)

In this speech, Cremin points out a fundamental problem in the progressive theory of education, proposes a revision of the theory, and suggests implications of that revision for public policymaking in education. (CD)

Initial findings from a five-year study of the educational reform process and its effects are reported. Findings derive from interviews with state and local policymakers and educators in 24 districts and 59 schools from 6 states. Areas discussed are politics of reform, state role, student standards and teacher-related policies. (IAH)

The passage of Goals 2000 represents a victory for advocates of a stronger federal role in improving schools. The article explores the principal elements of Goals 2000, the origins of the "new federalism," the education legislative record of the Clinton administration, and what further efforts are necessary to meet the needs of American…

The federal government's role in educational policy is examined. Discussed are changes in the public's problems, needs, and attitudes, and changes in state and local government roles in school governance. The impact of the federal government on state educational policy is analyzed, and predictions are made for future federal educational policy.…

In an attempt to investigate factors surrounding educational performance among different ethnic and racial groups, several areas are examined: (1) segregation; (2) performance levels and intelligence quotient variables among various ethnic groups; (3) intergroup differences among segregated and nonsegregated groups; (4) socioeconomic variables;…